The present invention generally relates to displaying pictures and the like and, more particularly, is concerned with a universal grid support assembly and method which can be tailored to support and hang different sizes of mounted pictures. The term "picture" will be used generically hereafter to designate articles such as pictures, paintings, architectural drawings, photographs and other printed or artistic matter suitable for display and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention. The support assembly also includes clips adapted to hold a sheet of protective glass in place over the picture.
A variety of mounting assemblies for the display of pictures are proposed in the prior art. Representative of the prior art are the mounting assemblies disclosed in U.S. Patents to Williams (U.S. Pat. No. 975,094), Ison (U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,316), Eubank, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,352), Porreca (U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,922) and McGrath et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,459). Of the afore-cited patents, only the ones to Eubank, Jr., Porreca and McGrath et al address the problem of accommodating pictures of various sizes. However, these patents appear to embody one or more shortcomings which make them less than an optimum solution to the aforementioned problem. The picture frame of Eubank, jr. appears limited to use with a relatively rigid picture assembly composed of a front pane of glass, a picture and a backing member. The frame construction of Porreca involves a considerable number of parts which must be aligned and assembled together and are bulky in appearance which might be considered by some to detract from the aesthetic qualities of the picture being framed. The photo display tree of McGrath et al accommodates photographs of various sizes, while being sandwiched between clear plastic covers, by supporting the photographs, at most, only along two of their four edges in grooves in the members composing the display tree. Such arrangement would appear to provide inadequate support overall for the photographs, possibly allowing them over time to curl or bend.
Consequently, a need still exists for an alternative approach to displaying mounted pictures. The approach should be one which is relatively simple, unobtrusive with respect to the aesthetics of the picture and highly reliable in preserving the structural integrity of the picture, and assumes that the picture will only be backed or mounted, as is conventional practice, by a thin sheet of relatively stiff material, such as dry mount boards.
It is often desirable to mount a sheet of protective glass or transparent plastic in front of the picture and over any matting that may be used. In the past, rigid frames would be used to hold the glass in place, but such frames are relatively expensive and often detract from the appearance of the picture, particularly in the case of photographs. Alternatively, corner clips have been used to fasten a sheet of glass to pictures or the like wherein the clips are held together by means of a length of tensioned wire or string located behind the picture.